Episode 2 script
2 months after the whole ordeal, Benver has taken Gunter back to Astanmark for some "business", much to Gunter's chagrin. The other 4 diplomats have remained in Aegyptus to continue representing Astanmark in the Middle East. 2 months before: Usaym was left shocked and hurt by Gunter’s quick departure, though he throughly hoped that it wasn’t Gunter’s decision. Nonchalantly walking into his father’s office, Usaym heard the words “Astanmark” and “envoy” being spoken. He pleaded with them to be able to go to Astanmark, it would be the first time he had been out of the country since he travelled to Mecca. Finally his father agreed, much to Dirar’s annoyance and they set out to Astanmark along with 3 other diplomats and 15 guards. Present: Gunter and the envoy were waiting outside Astanmark’s capital, the place they agreed to meet with the diplomats in Aegyptus though his uncle Dirar had reservations about how successful that message would’ve have been passed on. Several mounted soldiers accompanied by finely dressed ministers approach the Aegytpian diplomatic mission. "Greetings! I assume you are the Aegyptian representatives, yes?" One of the men says cheerfully Dirar nods, pleasantly surprised that they had not failed like he believed they would. “Yes we are.” "Brilliant. Follow us please. I will lead you to his majesty's palace." The group starts off in the direction of where the palace would be. The streets are well paved and various construction crews can be seen erecting monuments and working the roads. People are seen jovially wandering around the markets, buying, selling, and trading various items. It is a very different society than it had been under the Alarics' rule Dirar motions to the group who all stand their still, “well? What are you waiting for you half witted idiots!” Grumbling but chuckling at Dirar’s well known grumpiness and cynicism, they follow the Astonian guards. Eyes wide open they take in the Astanmark before them, nothing like what it said in the history books. Usaym especially took his time in examining every part of Astanmark that he could, without his uncle giving him hell. Priests can be seen chanting as they pass by a temple. The temple is a large one, dedicated to the goddess Minerva and was built under Enver's regime. Below a statue of the goddess is an inscription: "Built by the Alaric House to commend the goddess Minerva. May she repel Mars and keep Astanmark safe from the hands of its enemies" Usaym squints to make out the words, “that looks weird,” he comments in a whisper to Darir, “I thought Minerva and Mars were just a thing from story books? What the ancient Greeks believed in but no body now...” Darir turns with a shrug to Usaym “don’t ask me, I think just about everything is idiotic.” After a few minutes of walking, they finally reach the impressive palace belonging to the Hannes House. Enormous iron gates are slowly opened and lead into the courtyard, which is divided in the middle by a smooth walkway the leads right up to the main palace doors. The walkway is flanked on both sides by guards wielding trumpets as well as various exotic plants. King Rudiger along with his two sons, three daughters, wife, and siblings stand at the entrance of the palace waiting to greet the visitors. Gunter stands beside his father and notices Usaym Dirar snorts to Usaym “this is all for show lad, believe me, our relations with Astanmark are definitely down the pit.” Leaving Usaym confused and worried. He didn’t know anything was wrong, it couldn’t be, they had some of the best relations with Aegyptus didn’t they? Shaking his head he followed Dirar and the other diplomats down the walkway, awkwardly lowering his head at having trumpets around him, meaning he did not look up at the family in front of him. Once they reach the royal family, King Rudiger steps forward with a smile. "Greetings! I welcome you to our nation. How was your trip?" Gunter follows behind his father and grins at Usaym. Dirar immediately switches to diplomatic mode “yes yes Greetings, it was excellent thank you. Well as excellent as a trip can be.” Usaym’s head snaps up at the sound of a voice, and his eyes immediately meet Gunter’s and a smile breaks out on his face. "I have prepared rooms for you. You must be exhausted from the long journey. Please, follow me." The king and his family head inside to a large living room Darir, the other diplomats and Usaym all come inside, the guards respectfully disarm their weapons and hand them to the waiting hands of Astanmark guards before following. Inside the room sits several ministers, officers, and advisers to the King, including Benver. As Usaym enters the room, Benver's piercing glare befalls upon him. Gunter gets anxious as he sees Benver eyeing Usaym but says nothing. King Rudiger turns back to the diplomats. "But first, we must feast." Two long tables laid out with traditional Astanian dishes line the room.(edited) Usaym gives a menacing smile back, complete with a wink as he see’s Benver. What an ass, he thinks to himself. “Sounds stupendous,” Darir replies, for once not being sarcastic as he rubbed his belly. Ecstatic for more food.(edited) "Please, have a seat and take whatever you wish." King Rudiger, his sons, daughters, and wife all sit down. Gunter sits a few seats away from his father, so that the two seats beside him are open. Benver approaches and sits in one of those seats. He smiles at Gunter and whispers something in his ear. Darir and the other diplomats and guards all take seats along the table. Usaym hurriedly see’s seats beside Gunter and walks quickly towards them. As he see’s Benver sit down in one of them, he rolls his eyes but doesn’t let that deter him from sitting in the other. As Benver finishes whispering into his ear, an expression of fright and regret comes on Gunter's face. Usaym turns round to Gunter, drumming his hand on the table excitedly but his expression changes into one of worry when he see’s Gunter’s face Gunter forces a smile as he looks back at Usaym "I'm glad you're here." Benver keeps a close eye on them as he picks his food Usaym smiles back “so am I,” before shovelling food into his mouth, huge mouthfuls at a time as he looks round the table sheepishly. “This is really good.” Gunter chuckles. Benver keeps staring at them periodically Usaym smiles bashfully back before catching Benver’s eye. Glaring at the horrid man, Usaym gave him one last look before digging back into his food. After they finish their meals, King Rudiger suggests that the little ones go outside and play. Gunter groans and takes his little sister outside while his older siblings remain in the palace. He urges Usaym to come with him Usaym wanders over to where his uncle Darir stood, “I think I may go outside, the younger girl seems like she’d be the most fun of them all.” Usaym whispers, trying to cover up the real reason. With Darir’s accepting nod he walked towards Gunter and his sister who were going outside. Gunter meets him outside "What do you want to do?" Usaym smirks, before looking around. “Anywhere more private we could go?” He teases, before bending down to play with the little girl. "There's a little field a ways over there. I can leave my sister with the servants." Gunter responds Usaym nods, “sounds perfect.” Gunter calls over a servant to leave his sister with. He then starts jogging out of the palace and into the forest Surprised at how eagerly Gunter broke into a run, it took a few moments for Usaym to recover from the sight before he followed. Easily catching up he teased Gunter “since when do you run of your own free will?” Gunter smiles back and continues jogging deep into the forest until they come to a small clearing The sun is just about to set Usaym wolf whistles as he follows Gunter, massively appreciating the view. As they reached the clearing he calls out jokingly “remember what happened last time at sunset?” Gunter just smiles back. "Yes.." Usaym steps closer “well Gunty... did you enjoy it?” "I do." Gunter leans forward Usaym brings his arm around Gunter’s back, pulling him closer. Gunter leans in, bringing his face just centimeters from Usaym's. However, just as they are about to do so, Benver jumps out from behind the woods "Aha!" Startled at the sudden noise, Usaym trips and bashes his nose into Gunter’s forehead before falling to the floor. Benver laughs manically "What are you two doing, huh? You perverted sexual deviants!" Alarmed by the confusion the lost Sorrentopian diplomat heads towards the clearing, he was looking for a lost horse when he got lost Benver has a dagger with him He hasn’t arrived yet The Diplomat hides behind a tree on the edge of the clearing looking at the situation “You crazy man!” Usaym shouts, trying to pull Gunter protectively behind him. He notices the three men, and notices one is threatening the others with a dagger "Benver, please!" Gunter calls out. Benver simply laughs and points his dagger at Gunter. "You sick bastard! If your father knows about this....." The Sorrentopian moves his hand to his sword and his ready to jump in if the situation gets out of hand “Shut up, you don’t know anything.” Usaym spits out, “if you harm one hair on my head, rest assured my daddy will torture you for days on end. And if you harm one hair on his head, rest assured I will torture you for days on end.” Benver laughs dismissively. "Oh you fool! I won't even have to touch you! All I have to do is speak a few words with the King and the Sultan. Then, off with your heads!" Benver chuckles “My father would never execute me,” Usaym tries to make his voice strong, but in his head he is doubting himself, would his father ever turn against him? Benver turns to the frightened Gunter. "Did you listen to my words, boy? You know what I'll the king do if he finds out. Actually, I can tell him right now!" The Sorrentopian accidentally puts too much weight on his one foot which unfortunately was on top of a branch which breaks with a snap Usaym’s head snaps towards the noise. Benver turns to the sound as well. "Hey, who goes there? Show yourself!" The man steps forwards “I go here for I am lost.” "Hey, drop your sword." Usaym backs away, and attempts to pull Gunter with him. “He’s distracted,” Usaym whispers. Benver turns back to the boys. "Where do you think you're going?" “My sword is in my sheath only my hand rests on it in case of trouble.” Usaym grits his teeth together and can’t take it anymore, with an animalistic sort of growl he throws himself at Benver. "Hey!" Benver jumps back, narrowly missing being tackled. He holds his dagger out. "I'll fucking cut your throat if you attack me, boy" "Usaym, no!" Gunter shouts The diplomat steps between the boys “What is going on here?” He also moves Usaym away from Benver Usaym lets himself be pushed back but is barely restraining himself from leaping back at Benver. "Hey, foreign dignitaries aren't supposed to be armed on land owned by the king!" Benver shouts “I was going into a forest boy, I’m not heading in unarmed, and no one told me this.” "What? You dare call me a boy?" Usaym is breathing heavily, chest heaving and eyes still on Benver, he blindly reaches out behind him for Gunter’s hand. “You are a boy, at least in comparison to me in age.” "Don't call me a boy!" Benver clenches his fists and trembles with anger “Now what is going on here?” The diplomat says ignoring Benver’s trembles "Hey, I'm talking to you!" "Look at me when I talk to you!" “You answer me first and then I’ll talk to you.” The diplomat is getting quite frustrated “First a missing horse, then getting lost in a forest, than that bear.. and now this.” He thinks to himself Benver is shocked by the Sorrentopian's assertion of dominance. "What....did you just....say?" “You heard me.” Benver is now seething with anger. He narrows his eyes and shakes with rage. He finally lets out a high pitched shriek. "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!" The Sorrentopians aggravated face is replaced with one of concern "I'll tell the king about this!" Benver begins to storm back to the palace. "And I'll also tell him about his own cursed, perverted son!" Usaym watches in horror, as he hears what Benver said. “He won’t believe him, will he? The king can’t.” Gunter starts trembling in fear. "The king always believes an Alaric...." The Sorrentopian steps in Benver’s way “I can’t let you go into those woods alone, not in your condition and not after that scream.” Benver stops and stares at the Sorrentopian. He speaks in a low voice. "Get out of my way, foreigner. Do not vex me." Usaym turns to Gunter “what do we do?” "I.....I.....don't know....." Gunter still trembles in fear. He knows the immense amount of influence the Alarics hold in the government, especially in matters relating to the king. “Don’t test me boy, you are the least frightening thing I’ve seen this whole week.” He says to Benver "Look here foreigner, I know these woods better than you. I'm heading straight back to the palace." Benver replies and tries to step around him He just steps in front of him “I also still need an answer why are you threatening these people.” "How dare you block an Alaric! If I am harmed or impeded by you, the king will surely expel your group!" “Answer me, why are you threatening these people, I don’t know how your king feels about jumping people in the woods.” “But I imagine it’s not something he favors.” "Listen here, sexual deviants are to be executed by the state! Those are our laws! I will tell the king about these criminal acts and you will not stop me!" The Sorrentopian diplomat steps in front of Benver once again. Benver is shocked. "Why were you threatening these two boys? They have done nothing to you." "They are sexual deviants! They're a threat to society and our wise king himself mandated that deviants ought to be either cured of their disease or be executed! Now move!" Benver pushes the diplomat out of his way and starts making his way to the palace Usaym turns round to Gunter “we have to do something, someway to discredit his story... is Benver known for drinking at all?” Gunter thinks for a minute. "Yes, he does get drunk sometimes..." Usaym pulls Gunter along in a hurry, “We have to get to the palace before he does! Convince the king he is drunk and delusional. Perhaps the sorrentopian diplomat can help us, pretend to be a witness.” "Hmm, I think I can concoct a good story." The Sorrentopian says. "Follow me to my horse." Usaym nods, and rests his hand on the small of Gunter’s back as they follow the Sorrentopian. Although space is limited, the three manage to sit on the horse and ride back to the palace.They pass Benver on the way Usaym clings on tightly to Gunter in front of him, with the diplomat in front of Gunter. Though he doesn’t complain at the chance to wrap his arms round him. They make it back to the palace. However, some other guests have arrived. Several prominent members of the Alaric family, some who hold government positions, have arrived at the palace to greet the Aegyptian diplomats. “Damn,” Usaym cursed, “what are we going to do?” Gunter becomes fearful at the sight of the other Alarics. "I.....I don't know....oh gods have mercy on me!" One of the Alarics sees Gunter and walks over to him with a smile "How's his highness doing today?" The man pats Gunter's head. "Have fun in the woods with your new friend?" Usaym squirms in the saddle as the conversation goes on, aware that time was ticking away by the second. "You remember Lady Edith, don't you? Come, she wants to meet you." The man says. Gunter reluctantly dismounts and follows him Usaym looks at the Sorrentopian “we have to go ourselves then, the king should remember me.” "Right." The diplomat dismounts and walks inside where the King is greeting the other Alarics Usaym follows, and hopes the diplomat will take the lead. Benver finally makes it back to the palace, accompanied by another family. Five men enter the palace with Benver. An old looking man with greying hair walks alongside Benver. "What has gotten you so worked up at this hour?" "Oh don't mind me. I just have urgent news to tell the king." Benver says with a malicious smirk The grey haired man sees this smirk, and realizes that someone was going to die very soon, and he looks forward to it. "Ah, I see. Inform me when the victim is to be executed." Usaym hurries with the diplomat to where the King was, clearing his throat hurriedly “King Rudiger, I’m sorry to interrupt but I have some urgent private business to talk to you about.” King Rudiger, who was in the process of introducing the other Alarics, turns to Usaym. "Private business? You'll have to excuse me for a few minutes, young one. After I show the guests around, we can talk." Rudiger says with a smile Usaym tries to keep his cool but still persists “it really is important your highness, and could end up to be rather embarrassing as well if not dealt with.” The other Alarics smile "Go on, Rudiger. We can wait." The King smiles and turns back to Usaym "Would you like to speak in private?" “Yes, that would be excellent.” "Very well." The king leads Usaym into his private library Usaym follows with the diplomat before speaking “well it is quite embarrassing really, I am mortified about the whole situation. Gunter was showing me the forest and we saw Benver, but he didn’t seem quite right - he was swaying and shouting at things that didn’t seem to be there and it appeared that he was drunk. He suddenly turned on me and Gunter and started shouting how we were sexual deviants - an abhorrent suggestion for anyone to make. He then drew out his dagger and would have hurt us if not for the Sorrentopian diplomat here who helped save us and bring us here. He saw the whole exchange.” "Yes, it's true." The diplomat says. "Benver was piss drunk and started waving around a dagger, shouting incoherent things out in the woods. I think there may be something wrong in his head...." King Rudiger seems concerned. "Really? Why, this is repulsive behavior for a minister like him! I will speak to him in private." “Thank you,” Usaym smiles gratefully “if rumours were to get out about the lies that me and Gunter are sexual deviants, well it could ruin our reputation for ever.” Usaym scratches his neck awkwardly, trying to make the lie sound realistic. “And, well... you see there’s a girl back home and if she heard about it...She would be heartbroken.” Rudiger chuckles "Don't worry, young prince. I won't allow any respectable man's reputation be ruined. I hope you do find a fruitful relationship with that girl. Now, I must get back to my other guests." King Rudiger exits the room where he is met by a grinning Benver Usaym grins to himself and faces the diplomat, “thank you so much, your loyalty will be rewarded by Aegyptus.” "I do not seek rewards. It was the least I can do. Your secret is safe with me." The diplomat says. "Oh Benver! You surprised me! Now, I need you to stop drinking, young man!" Rudiger says. Benver looks confused. "Drinking? I wasn't drinking. You saw me at the dinner table, there wasn't even wine because of the guests' religious preferences!" Usaym nods, “Thank you again,” before jogging off to find Gunter. "Do I smell of alcohol, your majesty? Do I look drunk?" Benver questions the king. "Hmm....you don't but still..." Rudiger is puzzled. "I'd like to privately speak to you." Benver says as he steps into the library. Meanwhile in the dining room, Gunter is surrounded by members of the Alaric and Aariz family. "You'll be a fine king one day!" An elegantly dressed woman exclaims Usaym races back to the dining room, only to see Gunter surrounded by people. Shifting his robe to make himself look presentable he walked towards Gunter slowly. The man with greying hair notices the son of the Astanian king, and decides to make himself known. "Hello, Gunter, son of Rudiger. My name is Flamel Aariz." "Oh, who's this? Are you prince Usaym of Aegyptus?" The same woman asks Gunter shyly nods at Flamel "Hello...." He quietly says Usaym nods “yes, a pleasure to make your acquaintance Sayida.” Before correcting himself hurriedly “sorry, Sayida is ma’am in Arabic.” "Oh, I just love the Arabic language!" The jubilant woman squeals. "It sounds so nice!" Once Gunter sees Usaym, he tries to squeeze his way out. "I need to uh....talk to someone." Gunter manages to break away from the group and motions for Usaym to step outside. Usaym chuckles awkwardly before seeing Gunter’s motion “looks like it’s my cue to leave, I shall speak to you later, Sayida.” Usaym turns round and quickly follows Gunter. Gunter's face is full of concern and anxiety. "They'll never believe you, Usaym! What will we do?!" Usaym reaches out for Gunter’s hand hesitantly and cradles it within his grasp “it will be enough to seed doubt in his mind.” "I don't know, Usaym." Gunter looks down. Sadness overcomes him. "Usaym....I don't want to leave you.....but I think it's time that we stop doing whatever we're doing. It's too risky." Usaym looks at Gunter in despair, shakingly reaching out to touch his cheek before drawing back his hand abruptly. “Fine,” he snapped “if that’s what you want” , before walking off back to the dining room. Gunter looks down again in shame. He couldn't bear to see Usaym leaving him but decided that the risk of being discovered outweighs his love. He slowly strolls back into the dining room Meanwhile, Edmund Alaric, a soft-spoken cousin of Benver, walks over to Flamel. "Evening, sir. We did meet last time here, didn't we?" Flamel snaps his head to a man he has not seen before, at least he thought. This man must've been mistaken. "I do not believe we have met. Whats your name?" "Oh you must've forgotten. I'm Edmund Alaric. We met here a few months ago when discussing a deal with the Gernot tribe in northern Germany." Oh, of course, how could he have forgotten that!? "Oh, now I remember. My memory must be getting hazy. How have you been?" "I'm doing very well sir, thank you for asking." Edmund looks around. "I do trust that my sister has informed you of the true purpose of this meeting. We hear that the Aegyptians have access to rare gems in Africa. Perhaps we can strike a lucrative deal with them." "Of course, the valuable gems of Africa. From the looks of that Aegytian diplomat, he doesn't seem too pleased. I suggest we get him in a better mood before speaking with him, perhaps we can trick him into getting drunk." Edmund chuckles "I don't think they drink. They are strictly religious." He looks back at the Aegyptians "They do look somewhat....displeased with us. I assume it's because of their long journey. After they have rested may we talk to them." "I suppose that would be best. However, putting alcohol in their drinks when they're not looking is still an option. Make sure that the diplomats are treated luxuriously." "Hmm, that is a good but risky option we can take. And I made sure that King Rudiger prepared the most decorated and ornate rooms for them. Hopefully they will come to favor us over the other nations." "I shall drink to that, good sir. Long live Astanmark and King Rudiger." Flamel holds out his chalice for a toast. "Yes, long live our glorious monarchy!" Edmund does the same. Benver soon emerges from Rudiger's office with a smile. He walks over to them. "I've told him about our plan, and although he is reluctant, he has agreed to allow us to do what we must." "Good, that is very good. What exactly is our plan?" "We shower them with gifts and convince them that selling us gems will strengthen the bonds of our two nations both economically and politically. Although that little arrogant prince is a thorn....." "Well, what has Rudiger said about that prince? Shall he be expelled?" "No, Rudiger hasn't said anything about him but fear not. I caught that perverted bastard making sexual advances towards Gunter. I can use that to hold the prick hostage." Benver laughs mischievously "That is excellent news. The perverted prince shall be brought down. Now, why don't we enjoy ourselves for now? This drink is vert enticing." "Of course!" Benver takes a drink from the table and gulps it down "May we forever prosper!" "Indeed."